A Milksha store at Taipei 101 Observatory, Taiwan | Photo credit: Milksha

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) has secured licensing rights to open Milksha stores in the US states of California, New York and Texas. 
 

The Filipino franchise group, which took a for $12.8m majority stake in the Taiwanese bubble tea café in November 2021, said its Milkshop Japan Inc. subsidiary has entered into a licensing agreement with MKSA LLC (MKSA) to open and operate Milksha stores in the North American country.  
 

MKSA is a Delaware-based limited liability company established to manage the Milksha franchise in the US. 

Milkshop Japan Inc. will offer franchising opportunities across other US states, JFC said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange. 

Founded in Tainan, Taiwan, in 2007, Milksha operates 327 stores globally, including 305 in its home market, where it trades as Milkshop. It also operates in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, the Philippines and the UK.  

The tea chain’s products are also sold in 160 Chowking stores in the Philippines. Chowking is a fast-food Chinese-inspired restaurant chain, acquired by JFC in 2000. 

Milksha achieved $96m systemwide sales in 2023 and is part of JFC’s growing coffee and tea portfolio, which also includes The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Highlands Coffee, Tiong Bahru Bakery, Common Man Coffee Roasters and the recently acquired Compose Coffee in South Korea. 

Following the $238m majority acquisition of Compose Coffee, coffee and tea brands now comprise 51% of JFC’s total 9,456-store food and beverage portfolio.